


Traps and Traitors

by Chucychito



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Forbidden Love, Friendship, LGBTQ Character, M/M, References to Depression, Suicide Attempt, because it is warriors, it gets kinda dark, the bad guy isnt a broad shouldered tabby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:13:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28005969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chucychito/pseuds/Chucychito
Summary: Cinderpaw and his sister Brightpaw are poised and excited to start their warrior training (right?). They have close friends, a loving mother, and everything young ShadowClan cats could ask for. Cinderpaw thinks he's happy, but Brightpaw's exuberant cheer is not something he can relate to, and the others around him have some concerns. Is he really happy...?As he grows up and he watches ShadowClan fall apart around him, he wonders if he ever knew what happiness was.
Relationships: Original Character/Original Character
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Traps and Traitors

**ShadowClan**

**Leader**

Larkstar—very small and wiry cream she-cat with blue eyes

**Deputy**

Ivysight—thick furred, dark gray and white she-cat with pale blue eyes

**Medicine Cat**

Spottedwing—white spotted dark ginger she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentice—Lilacpaw

**Warriors**

Cloudshade—black tom with one white spot around his left eye, white tipped tail

Amberfern—golden dappled tom with amber eyes

Leopardmask—long-legged spotted light gray she-cat; green eyes

Moonrise—small solid dark gray she-cat with amber eyes

Fireleaf—wiry ginger tabby tom with blue eyes

Snowfern—thick-furred white she-cat

Dusklight—lithe smoky brown she-cat with blue eyes

Foxspring—dark ginger she-cat with white chest, throat, and mouth; green eyes

Frozenstep—blue furred tom with three white paws; blue eyes

Dustfur—lithe light brown tom with yellow eyes

Gingerspark—ginger she-cat with white front paws

Graystone—mottled gray tom with blue eyes

Featherbreeze—small but fluffy black she-cat with blue eyes 

Spidernose—dark gray tom with lighter gray underbelly and flecks

Gorseleaf—small but fluffy dark gray tabby tom with yellow eyes

Apprentice—Dewpaw

Cedartail—large light gray she-cat with yellow eyes

**Queens**

Frostwhisker—pale gray tom with white underbelly and tipped ears and tail; three white paws (father to Lilykit—pale yellow tabby she-cat, and Mintkit—white she-cat with bright green eyes)

Icestorm—tall white she-cat with silver patches; yellow eyes (mother to Brightkit—white she-cat with ginger patches, and Cinderkit—small fluffy white tom with dark brown patches)

Shadowstep—large fluffy black she-cat with yellow eyes (mother to Hawkkit—large brown tom with white chest and paws, and Ravenkit—black tom with blue eyes)

**Apprentices**

Lilacpaw—light gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Dewpaw—black she-cat with green eyes

**Elders**

Lightwhisker—pale yellow tabby she-cat with green eyes

Frogtail—light brown tabby tom with yellow eyes

* * *

“Come on Cinderkit, get up!”

Cinderkit groaned irritably, tucking his face deeper into his paws. He hadn’t slept well last night and Brightkit knew it; why was she being so annoying?

Brightkit jostled his shoulder, completely ignoring her brother’s unresponsiveness. “Come  _ on _ !” she repeated, a twinge of frustration in her voice. “You don’t want to miss our apprentice ceremony, do you?”

Oh, right. That was today, wasn’t it?

Cinderkit reluctantly picked his head up, wincing as the light hit his eyes. Brightkit stood before him, ginger tail waving and yellow eyes alight with excitement. Across the den, Ravenkit, Hawkkit, and their mother Shadowstep were all still asleep. Hawkkit was splayed half in and half out of their nest; though two full moons younger, he was nearly as big as Cinderkit and Brightkit.

Close by them, Lilykit and Mintkit were still curled together asleep, Frostwhisker’s nest empty. He’d taken to staying in the nursery with his kits ever since his mate, Lilyhop, had died giving birth a quarter moon ago, but he must’ve gone on an early patrol that morning. How had Cinderkit not heard him leave? How hadn’t he heard Icestorm and Brightkit getting up either?

“What are you waiting for!” Brightkit nudged Cinderkit with her head. “Icestorm is waiting outside for us!”

Cinderkit heaved an exaggerated sigh before hauling himself to his paws. He shook out his sleep-ruffled fur and stretched, purposefully taking his time just to annoy his sister. “They won’t start without me,” he said calmly.

Brightkit huffed. “You know Larkstar would!” She shook her head, deflating slightly. “Why aren’t you more excited? I thought we both couldn’t wait for this day.”

Feeling a little guilty, Cinderkit stepped forward and touched his nose to Brightkit’s. “I  _ am _ excited,” he said softly. He knew he was, deep down—of  _ course  _ he was excited to finally become an apprentice. He’d dreamed of this moment since the very first day he’d known of it. But that usual surge of excitement was just too distant to access at the moment. For some reason, right now he felt nothing more than he usually did on a warm green-leaf morning.

Brightkit eyed him with a frown for a few heartbeats, but then she shrugged. “Well then let’s go.” With that she turned tail and raced out of the nursery, leaving Cinderkit scrambling after her.

“Well, good morning,” Icestorm said wryly when the two kits tumbled outside. She looked pointedly at Cinderkit. “Nice of you to finally join the waking world.”

Cinderkit shrugged noncommittally. “I’m here now,” he pointed out.

Icestorm’s tail flicked. “Larkstar is going to start the ceremony any moment now,” she said. Her eyes brimmed with pride. “Oh, I can’t believe how fast you two are growing up!”

“Mom,” Brightkit protested with a laugh.

Shuffling his paws, Cinderkit turned to his sister. “Who do you suppose your mentor is going to be?”

Brightkit paced around them. “I don’t know!” she squeaked. She paused mid-step and glanced around the clearing, whiskers twitching thoughtfully. “Where’s Dewpaw? You don’t think she’s going to miss our ceremony, do you?”

“No,” Cinderkit assured immediately. She’d been looking forward to this day just as much as they had, maybe even more so. As the only current warrior apprentice, of course she’d be excited at the prospect of having two new apprentices to compete with.

As if summoned, Dewpaw poked her head out of the medicine den. When she caught sight of the two kits waiting beside Icestorm, her eyes brightened. She glanced back and called something over her shoulder before she bounded to meet them.

“Hi!” she greeted warmly with her tail curled over her back. “Isn’t this exciting? Just think—we’ll be exploring the forest together in no time at all!”

“Don’t you already know the forest?” Cinderkit pointed out with an amused twitch of his whiskers.

“She can’t possibly know all of it!” Brightkit protested. “I bet we can find something she hasn’t seen yet!”

A second figure slipped quietly out of the medicine den and trotted over. Though Lilacpaw remained graceful and professional as ever, she smiled softly at the two kits. “This must be very exciting,” she purred.

Icestorm’s tail flicked once more. The older she-cat must’ve been finding it hard to sit still, but she had the maturity not to prance around like Brightkit. “It seems like only yesterday you four were getting under everyone’s paws,” she said wistfully, even though Lilacpaw had been an apprentice for three moons and Dewpaw for one.

“You act like that’s going to change.”

Cinderkit whirled to find none other than Larkstar herself standing before them, warm amusement in her eyes. Though she was ShadowClan’s leader, she was very small; she seemed dwarfed by Icestorm merely sitting up straight at her side.

Cinderkit and Brightkit exchanged nervous glances. Of course they’d seen how casually Larkstar addressed other Clanmates, but they’d always been too scared to speak to her directly. Having her stand so leisurely before them,  _ joking  _ with their mother about their kit-hood, was jarring.

Icestorm dipped her head. “It probably won’t,” she agreed. She nudged Brightkit gently. “At least not with this one’s energy.”

Cinderkit snorted at his sister’s torn expression; she clearly couldn’t decide if that was a compliment or an insult. She shoved him hard in response.

“I suppose we’ve let them wait long enough,” Larkstar exchanged amused glances with Icestorm. She reached out her front paws in a luxurious stretch before making her way over to the pinebranch to make the summons.

“Good luck!” Dewpaw trilled.

“We’ll be the first ones to congratulate you,” Lilacpaw assured.

“Let all cats old enough to fetch their own prey gather here beneath the pinebranch for a Clan meeting!” Larkstar yowled.

Cinderkit began following Icestorm but paused and glanced back when Brightkit didn’t follow. She seemed frozen in place, yellow eyes wide in sudden panic.

He doubled back and pressed reassuringly against his sister. “It’ll be okay,” he insisted. “It’ll be over before you know it, and then we’ll be onto the actual training.”

Brightkit still looked unsure. “What if I mess up? What if my mentor doesn’t like me?”

“If you mess up, I’ll do something to draw the attention away,” Cinderkit promised.

“Don’t do that!” Brightkit cried in dismay.

Cinderkit snorted and flicked her ear with his tail. “Then don’t mess up.”

Brightkit scowled at him. “Is that supposed to be comforting? Because I feel threatened.”

“Brightkit! Cinderkit! Come on!” Icestorm was waving at them impatiently beneath the pinebranch.

“We’ve got to go,” Cinderkit said. He nudged Brightkit lightly. “Come on, one step at a time.”

Brightkit let Cinderkit lead her gently through the gathered crowd of cats to sit at Icestorm’s side in front of everyone. She was still shaking slightly; Cinderkit pressed himself against her, hoping his steady form would be enough to calm her nerves.

“Cats of ShadowClan,” Larkstar announced, “we are gathered here today to celebrate the initiation of two young cats into their apprenticeship. Brightkit and Cinderkit have waited their six moons for this moment, and now they are ready to begin their warrior training.” Leaping gracefully down from the pinebranch, Larkstar stood before the crowd of cats. “Brightkit,” she called, gesturing patiently with her tail for the kit in question to join her.

Brightkit’s trembling hadn’t ceased, but she didn’t hesitate as she crept towards Larkstar. “Brightkit,” Larkstar continued, “from now until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Brightpaw.” She lifted her gaze from Brightpaw to the rest of the ShadowClan cats. “Foxspring, not only is it high time you’ve had an apprentice, but I could think of no better cat to kindle Brightpaw’s spark than you. I trust you will train her well.”

The dark ginger she-cat stepped forward, seemingly vibrating with excitement. Cinderkit could see why Larkstar had chosen her; both she and Brightkit had boundless energy and a great lust for life. Brightkit’s ears pricked eagerly as she met Foxspring and the two touched noses.

_ Yes! _ Cinderkit thought proudly. She’d done so well! He reminded himself to tease her about her jitters later.

“Cinderkit,” Larkstar said once the two had stepped to the side.

Cinderkit was almost taken aback.  _ Right, I have to go too. _ He stepped forward, feeling slightly self-conscious when so many eyes turned to him.

“From now until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Cinderpaw. My loyal deputy, Ivysight, I have no doubt that you will train Cinderpaw to be the best warrior he can be.”

_ The deputy!  _ Cinderpaw felt his stomach lurch. Why had Larkstar given him to  _ Ivysight _ ? She was intimidating and serious; she’d never said a single word to either of the two kits.

From her place at the front of the crowd, Ivysight rose to her paws and padded over to meet Cinderpaw. Her pale blue gaze was unreadable, and she didn’t so much as twitch a whisker when she stooped to touch their noses.

“Brightpaw! Cinderpaw!”

Feeling a bit dazed, Cinderpaw turned to face his cheering Clanmates.

As promised, Dewpaw and Lilacpaw were by their side the moment the ceremony was over, followed shortly thereafter by a purring Icestorm.

“I’m so proud of you two,” Icestorm gushed.

“I told you it would be okay,” Cinderpaw commented, butting his sister’s shoulder lightly.

Brightpaw huffed, but still puffed out her chest pridefully.

“This is going to be so great!” Dewpaw purred. She rubbed her muzzle against Cinderpaw’s and turned to flick Brightpaw’s ear with her tail. “You better learn as fast as you can to catch up to me!”

Cinderpaw snorted. “You’re only a moon older than us,” he reminded.

Dewpaw straightened, using her quite frankly ridiculous height to loom over the two new apprentices. “That’s one moon of training I have over you!”

“While this is all very well and good,” Ivysight interrupted, “we’re wasting time that could be spent training.” She pushed past the cluster of apprentices, beckoning Cinderpaw to follow with a flick of her fluffy gray tail. Cinderpaw hurriedly padded after her, casting an apologetic glance back at his family and friends.

“She’s right,” he heard Foxspring sigh behind him. “Don’t worry—you’ll have enough time to chat later. But for now Brightpaw, let’s tour our territory, shall we?”

“Good luck!” Icestorm called. “Tell me all about it when you get back!”

Once they were well away from camp and in the forest proper, Cinderpaw had to stop completely because of all of the overwhelming sounds and scents. The rustling leaves and underbrush, the pine needles scattered across the uneven ground, the chattering birds, and the  _ scents,  _ both familiar and unfamiliar. It made his head spin.

Ahead of him, Ivysight hardly glanced back at him. “Keep up,” she called.

Biting back an anxious noise, Cinderpaw took a few hesitant steps forward. A creaking noise sounded above him, and he whipped his head up with wide eyes.

Ivysight sighed. She finally stopped walking and turned fully to Cinderpaw. “It’s just the trees,” she explained. Though her voice was calm, she was shifting impatiently from paw to paw. “You must’ve heard that before in camp.”

Cinderpaw forced his hunched form to straighten. “It just surprised me,” he said coolly. After a moment, he lifted his chin and added, “Well? Lead the way.”

Ivysight’s tail swept over the needle-strewn earth. She watched Cinderpaw for a few heartbeats, that same unreadable expression never wavering. But then she turned and continued on; Cinderpaw trailing dutifully at her heels.

“I know it’s a lot to take in,” she said stiffly a few heartbeats later, gaze still firmly fixed ahead. “But you’re going to have to get used to it if you want to be a warrior.”

Cinderpaw’s tail twitched irritably.  _ This is my first time out of camp!  _ He thought mutinously. Aloud, he said lightly, “I’m sure  _ you  _ didn’t have such issues when you were an apprentice.”

Ivysight glanced back at him with narrowed eyes, but she didn’t comment. Cinderpaw sighed internally. He could already tell this apprenticeship was going to be little to no fun.

But that wasn’t really fair, was it? Sure, Brightpaw and Foxspring were probably having a grand old time wherever they were, but being an apprentice wasn’t supposed to be  _ fun.  _ Cinderpaw would just have to suck it up and do the best he could with what he was given.

Besides, Ivysight was the deputy. Of course she was serious. He should be grateful for this opportunity!

With that thought in mind, he resorted himself to trailing after Ivysight in silence.

* * *

“I almost caught a sparrow today,” Brightpaw was saying. She glanced across the clearing to where Foxspring was sharing tongues with the medicine cat, Spottedwing. “Foxspring was proud!”

Cinderpaw purred at her side. “That’s great.”

“Sparrows aren’t easy to catch,” Dewpaw commented. “Or maybe that’s just me.” She shook her head with a light laugh. “Not so good at catching birds.”

“I mean, they  _ do _ have wings,” Cinderpaw pointed out. He prodded her gently. “And mice taste better anyway.”

Dewpaw puffed out her chest. “Yeah, it’s not my fault!”

Cinderpaw suppressed a chuckle.

Brightpaw licked a paw and drew it over her ear. “How was your day, Cinderpaw? I sort of thought they’d take us to tour the territory together.”

Cinderpaw shrugged noncommittally. “Eh, it was alright. We didn’t see any signs of prey or anything, so I didn’t get to practice like you.” He didn’t mention Ivysight’s aloofness. They hadn’t shared many words after their initial clipped conversation, but he was trying to remain optimistic about it. Maybe once they’d been training for a few days, they’d develop a more comfortable system.

Brightpaw leaned closer and touched her nose to Cinderpaw’s ear. “That’s alright! It’s not like I actually caught anything anyway. You’re not falling behind yet!”

Cinderpaw rolled his eyes and huffed out a breath of amusement. “It’ll be pretty hard  _ not  _ to fall behind. I mean, look at my competition!” He poked his sister before dramatically flopping onto his side. “Alas, I will have to make my peace with being cast aside, forever outshined by my amazing sister. I can only hope to be remembered as your brother when future generations speak of your legends.”

Brightpaw swatted at him playfully. “Shut up!” she giggled.

Beside them, Dewpaw was laughing. “Always so dramatic,” she teased. She glanced up at the darkening sky and let out a mournful sigh. “I better try and sleep soon… Gorseleaf wants me on the dawn patrol.”

“Yikes,” Cinderpaw said, sitting up a bit. “Sleep well. We’ll keep quiet out here.”

“No, we’ll be going with them.”

Cinderpaw almost jumped out of his fur. Looking up, he met Ivysight’s expressionless gaze. She’d been sitting in a patch of dying sunlight with her sister, Snowfern, but had apparently started making her way towards them in the midst of their bantering.

“We’re going on the dawn patrol,” she said.

Cinderpaw blinked at her. “Oh, okay I guess.”

Dewpaw flicked her tail at Cinderpaw’s side. “Great!” she purred. “At least we get to go together!”

Cinderpaw glanced at her. “Yeah.”

“I suggest resting up,” Ivysight continued. “Dewpaw here had the right idea.”

Brightpaw leaned forward. “Do you think Foxspring and I can come? The six of us could make up the whole patrol!”

Ivysight frowned. “I don’t think it would be very wise to have three very inexperienced apprentices out patrolling that early.” After a moment, she added, “I’ll see if Foxspring wants to do a joint lesson with us tomorrow afternoon.”

“Okay!” Brightpaw nodded vigorously. “That would be fun, thank you!”

Ivysight’s whiskers twitched. It almost seemed like she was amused at Brightpaw’s enthusiasm, which was quite a shock to Cinderpaw. She’d been quiet and reserved all day. Did it really just take a bit of energy to brighten her spirits?

“Being an apprentice isn’t all fun and games,” Ivysight warned, but there was no anger in her voice. “But it’s good that you’re enjoying your lessons so far.”

Brightpaw beamed.

“Off to bed, Cinderpaw, Dewpaw,” Ivysight reminded when none of the apprentices moved.

“Oh, right. Sorry.” Cinderpaw got to his paws and stretched.

“I’ll come make my nest,” Brightpaw said, following suit. “I’d hate to wake you up later.” She glanced over her shoulder as Ivysight started to pad away. “Have a goodnight, Ivysight!”

Ivysight paused, one paw still raised to take a step. With a flick of her tail, she called back, “Goodnight.”

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Dewpaw woke before Cinderpaw, prodding him incessantly until she was sure he was up too. As he irritably clambered to his paws, vision still fuzzy from sleep, he couldn’t help but wonder if he was just going to be cursed with rude awakenings for the rest of his life.

Dewpaw, having noticed Cinderpaw’s grogginess, let out a quiet purr of amusement. “I’m sure you don’t want Ivysight coming in here herself, so be grateful you have me.”

That was a good point.

Outside, the sky was just starting to lighten a deep purple with the onset of sunrise. The camp was spotted with very few cats; Spottedwing was stretching outside the medicine den with a scrapful of moss in her jaws while Ivysight, Gorseleaf, and Gingerspark were sleepily emerging from the warriors’ den. Moonrise watched the three warriors eagerly from the camp entrance, no doubt waiting to be dismissed from her night watch.

“Lilacpaw isn’t up yet,” Cinderpaw commented, watching the medicine cat pad across the clearing. He’d figured if Spottedwing was up and already tackling her chores, her apprentice would be with her.

Dewpaw snorted. “Yeah, lazy furball likes to sleep in. She’ll have you believe otherwise, though.” She shared a conspiratory glance with Cinderpaw, whiskers quivering mischievously.

Cinderpaw shook his head in amazement. “How can you be in such a good mood already?”

Dewpaw flicked her tail teasingly at Cinderpaw’s side. “Gotta start every day with a good attitude,” she said cheekily.

“Wise words,” Goresleaf interjected, having made his way across the clearing to join them. Ivysight stood impassively beside him.

Gingerspark spared a moment to nod at Moonrise in greeting, before blinking tiredly at Ivysight and Gorseleaf. Her jaws stretched into a wide yawn before she asked, “Are we ready to go?”

The two apprentices nodded.

“Looks like we should be asking you that,” Gorseleaf teased, flicking his tail at Gingerspark’s side. Gingerspark snorted and shook herself a bit, as if trying to physically shake off the lingering remnants of sleep.

“What are you talking about? I’m raring to go!”

Ivysight pushed forward without a word, beckoning to the others with a flick of her tail. Cinderpaw and Dewpaw exchanged glances before following. Gorseleaf and Gingerspark waited patiently before bringing up the rear.

The ground was mulchy and wet under paw; it must’ve rained last night after Cinderpaw had fallen asleep. The breeze was light but still chilly, and the drops of dew clinging to Cinderpaw’s fur certainly didn’t help. He shivered, fluffing his fur up to try and retain  _ some  _ level of warmth.

“Is there even a cat under all that fur?” Dewpaw asked. Cinderpaw glared at her half-heartedly.

“Cold?” Gorseleaf asked sympathetically.

“And tired,” Cinderpaw agreed.

“Join the club,” Gingerspark said, far too cheerfully for Cinderpaw to relate to.

Dewpaw butted Cinderpaw’s shoulder with a purr. “Don’t worry, it won’t take long for it to warm up. At least we’re not in WindClan!”

Cinderpaw shuddered at the thought. How did those cats even survive? It wasn’t even quite leaf-fall yet and he was freezing his tail off in the warmest section of the whole forest!

“Very true,” Gorseleaf laughed.

“Which border did you want to check first?” Gingerspark called up to Ivysight. The deputy was a few paces ahead, marching onward without paying the rest of the patrol much attention.

Ivysight’s ear flicked but her eyes stayed trained forward. “RiverClan.”

“That’s what I was hoping you’d say,” Gingerspark said approvingly. “After that gathering, I don’t trust them for a heartbeat!”

Cinderpaw glanced up at Gorseleaf, who was still walking calmly beside him and Dewpaw. “What happened at the last gathering?”

“Ah,” Gorseleaf let out a sigh, suddenly appearing more pensive and worried. “Well, Larkstar mentioned how we’d scented RiverClan on our side of the border. Streamstar and her warriors did not take the accusation well.”

Gingerspark sniffed. “That’s an understatement. They had the audacity to turn it around and claim that  _ we’ve  _ been crossing  _ their _ border!”

“I’m sure it was just a mistake.” Ivysight finally turned to look at the rest of the patrol, a light frown twisting her features. “But it’s better to be safe than sorry, so I’ll be doubling patrols along the border, at least until the next gathering.”

“You don’t think there’s going to be a battle, right?” Dewpaw asked, glancing between her mentor and Ivysight anxiously.

“We can’t be sure,” Gorseleaf said heavily.

Ivysight met Dewpaw’s gaze seriously. “We’ll do everything we can to prevent one. We’ve had peace for a while now, and I assume both Larkstar and Streamstar would like to preserve that.”

Gingerspark’s tail lashed. “Maybe we  _ should  _ fight them,” she growled. “We can’t let them get away with questioning our warriors’ integrity like that! They’re going to get too comfortable and next thing you know they’ll be stealing our prey every day!”

“It’s hardly gotten that far yet,” Ivysight retorted. “We can’t be too rash, here. If it comes to it, ShadowClan will fight, but until then, we have to wait.”

Gingerspark scowled. “Fine, fine.”

Ivysight eyed Gingerspark silently for a few moments, before she finally offered, “I can assign you more border patrols if you want to stay on top of the situation. As long as you promise not to instigate any fights,” she added when Gingerspark brightened.

Gingerspark rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “I’ll be on my best behavior,” she promised in a mock solemn tone.

Ivysight rolled her eyes as well, though there seemed to be a glimmer of amusement in them.

Cinderpaw wished he shared the warriors’ good mood. But he was still cold, and tired, and  _ hungry— _ he hadn’t had time to eat before they left camp. More importantly, though, the thought of encountering hostile RiverClan warriors at the border wasn’t a fun one. What if they started a fight? Cinderpaw had no battle training. They’d probably send him back for reinforcements, but could he even find his way back home by himself? He could definitely end up being the sole reason behind ShadowClan’s loss to RiverClan. And  _ then  _ where would he be?

“Cinderpaw!”

Cinderpaw startled, glancing up sharply. He must’ve been lost in his thoughts for a bit—Gorseleaf and Gingerspark were chatting about an entirely different subject now.

“Cinderpaw,” Ivysight repeated, this time with a hint of impatience.

Feeling his ears burn, Cinderpaw quickly trotted up to walk at Ivysight’s side. “What’s up?”

Ivysight’s whiskers twitched, though  _ still _ , she didn’t look at him. Cinderpaw figured she must’ve perfected the art of holding conversations without directly looking at the cat she was speaking with before he was even born. “What’s  _ up _ , is you need to focus. You can’t be drifting off in your own head when you’re on patrols. I had to call you twice to get your attention.”

Cinderpaw wished a hole would open up beneath him so he could sink into the ground and never be seen again. His fur prickled with embarrassment and shame. How could she have noticed? She hadn’t even been watching! “I heard you the first time,” he protested weakly.

Ivysight’s tail twitched. “And yet you only listened after the second.” She let out a clearly disappointed sigh. “When on patrols like this, you need to be aware of your surroundings and alert for any signs of trouble. You’re not just responsible for yourself, but for everyone on the patrol. If we were to be attacked, you need to be prepared.”

“We’re not even at the border yet,” Cinderpaw pointed out.

Ivysight tsked. “I would appreciate you not being so smart with me, Cinderpaw. The forest can be dangerous too, and you should  _ still  _ be on guard whenever you leave the camp.”

Cinderpaw wanted to point out that he was the most inexperienced cat on the patrol, meaning there was no way he’d catch sight or scent of something dangerous before anyone else did. Also, he was fairly certain that if something serious  _ did _ happen, he wouldn’t just be zoning out off to the side while it happened.

But he didn’t, because Ivysight was already frustrated, and he was pretty sure he’d pushed his luck as it was. He simply nodded tersely, falling back so he wasn’t at her side anymore.

He hated to mope like a kit, but this just  _ wasn’t fair.  _ How come Ivysight seemed to be able to get along with everyone but him, her own apprentice?

Dewpaw offered Cinderpaw a tight smile. “Don’t worry, we’ve all been there.” She peeked over at Gorseleaf, who was still speaking with Gingerspark and clearly not listening to the two apprentices. “I made Gorseleaf miss a stupidly easy catch once because I wasn’t paying attention,” she confided in a low whisper. “He was really upset then, and I was sure he hated me. But we’re good now!”

Cinderpaw forced a smile. “Oh come on, Dewpaw. Nobody could hate  _ you _ .” He bumped her shoulder teasingly.

Dewpaw’s laugh was bright and bubbly. Her expression struggled to remain in a pout. “You’re missing the point!”

Cinderpaw shook his head with a light snort. “The point is appreciated,” he assured, though he couldn’t help but feel like her situation couldn’t apply to his. After all, it seemed like Ivysight hadn’t liked him from the very start.

There was no way she and him would ever be as close as Gorseleaf and Dewpaw.

* * *

“Oh, you’re back!” Brightpaw waltzed around the returning dawn patrol. “Are we still going to practice together? I’ve just been cleaning out the bedding in the nursery. I haven’t seen Foxspring in a bit yet but—”

“Whoa there,” Cinderpaw said, somewhat dazed.

Ivysight glanced down at Brightpaw. “We’ve already had quite a busy morning. How about we rest a bit, and then we can practice before evening.” When Brightpaw’s face fell, Ivysight added, “If you’re so bored, why don’t you go bring some fresh-kill to Frogtail and Lightwhisker? I’m sure they’d share a story or two for your efforts.”

“Of course!” Brightpaw straightened and dashed away to the fresh-kill pile.

At Cinderpaw’s side, Dewpaw let out a snort. “How does she always have so much energy?”

“She must’ve stolen all of mine when we were born.” Cinderpaw shook his head. “All I want to do is sleep for a moon.”

Ivysight frowned down at him, but then she nodded lightly. “I suppose a nap isn’t uncalled for; it might even clear your head a bit. I’ll come fetch you to train with your sister later.”

“Thanks, Ivysight.” He was almost surprised that she was suddenly being so lenient, but he wasn’t about to question it.

As Ivysight padded away, Dewpaw turned to Cinderpaw with pleading eyes. “Won’t you share a mouse with me first? I hate eating by myself, it feels like everyone is staring at me.”

Oh, right. He hadn’t eaten yet. But he honestly wasn’t even hungry anymore. All he could think about was curling back up in his nest, sleeping blissfully.

“No one’s going to stare at you,” Cinderpaw promised. “Sorry, Dewpaw, but I’ll eat later.”

Dewpaw pouted. “Fiiine. I’ll see if Lilacpaw’s hungry, then.” She turned to head off towards the medicine den but paused, shooting Cinderpaw a glance. “I’ll see if I can save something for you, okay?”

“Right, thanks.” Cinderpaw was only really half-listening, already half-way back to the apprentice’s den.

**Author's Note:**

> If you got this far into it, I would really really appreciate a comment! What did you think? I'm wary to post an OC fic because I'm not sure it'll do so well, so any feedback whatsoever will cleanse my soul.
> 
> I was going to wait to post this all at once when I was finished, but hey it's me, and I can't wait for anything ever. The update schedule might be unorganized because I really should be prioritizing my main story over this one, but we'll see how it goes (this is the one I'm more excited to write about, anyway).


End file.
